Check out the ‘This 97 Year Old Diner In New York Makes Their Coke The Old-Fashioned Way’ meme meaning explained
You might have initially passed by it, dismissing it as either an ad or one of those posts that aimlessly drift through your feed, much like a stray plastic shopping bag wafting down a city street.
Yet, with each subsequent encounter with the video titled “This 97 Year Old Diner In New York Makes Their Coke The Old-Fashioned Way,” the question became unavoidable – was there more to this content than meets the eye?
Let’s delve into the journey of how a piece of what’s commonly referred to as “engagement bait” traversing the internet unexpectedly transformed into one of February’s most popular memes.
‘This 97 Year Old Diner In New York Makes Their Coke The Old-Fashioned Way’ meme meaning explained as it goes viral on Twitter/X and TikTok
me at the 97 year old diner where they still serve coke the old fashioned way but they start playing julie ragbeer pic.twitter.com/feey3fWhNE
— °○˚｡ (@woeshy) February 26, 2024
Back in the 1920s, the Lexington Candy Shop opened its doors in New York City, offering Coca-Cola alongside other refreshments. Fast forward to 2022, when TikToker @newyorknico strolled into the establishment and captured the staff meticulously crafting a Coca-Cola using concentrated syrup, carbonated water, and a scoop of ice cream.
The video swiftly gained viral traction, captivating over 45 million viewers in two years, with 4.8 million expressing their approval through likes. This video continued to resurface on various platforms over the subsequent two years, making notable appearances on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and more.
This 97 year old Oompa Loompa still makes chocolate the old fashioned way pic.twitter.com/XvYd5O3ixz
— ed (@erar97) February 27, 2024
At its core, the content exudes a wholesome and intriguing vibe, as viewers are fascinated by the process of creating old-fashioned Cokes, leaving them with a positive feeling during and after watching.
Beyond its charm, the meme also carries a nostalgic undertone – an emotion that consistently resonates well online. Many users shared and enjoyed the video, leading to impressive engagement numbers, even from unexpected sources like @Zvbear, who later gained notoriety for posting AI-generated images of Taylor Swift.
While many viral posts about the old-fashioned Coke are genuine in expressing admiration for the diner’s traditional approach, come February 2024, the phrase began to be repurposed almost like a copypasta.
It started appearing alongside various images that had little connection to New York, Coca-Cola, or diners. The allure of the meme seems to lie in its non-sequitur nature, embodying a fondness for precisely this type of random content that the internet seems increasingly adept at spreading.
Me when I work in a 97 year old diner and someone orders a Coke pic.twitter.com/rwelFCx839
— 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙣.𝘽🍉 (@LochlinBlue) February 27, 2024
Moreover, like many memes circulating on the internet, it has evolved into its own peculiar meta phenomenon. Though most Coke is readily available in pre-mixed form in stores, the beverage fundamentally comprises syrup mixed with about five times as much cold, carbonated water.
Adjusting the syrup quantity allows for customization of sweetness. While syrup is sold by certain retailers and websites, particularly catering to restaurants and businesses with soda machines, the manual creation of old-fashioned Coke remains a unique and intriguing process.
ALSO READ: Who is Gina Lynn as No Chick-fil-A Sauce girl video goes viral on TikTok and Twitter/X